Just Another Full-moon Night At County Jail

An elderly, haggard inmate nervously paces the waiting area, hoping Federal Express absolutely, positively delivers money to him so he can bond out.

In fits of impatience, a 15-year-old arrested on a bomb threat charge punches the steel door of a holding cell about every 15 minutes.

It's one of those nights in booking in which constant activity is the rule, quiet the exception, and the computer system is on the blink. An IBM dispatcher swears a repair technician is on the way.

To make things worse, a booking officer says, there's a full moon.

''We've been busy since 1400 hours,'' says Cpl. DeWayne Sexton, referring to 2 p.m. civilian time as he feverishly types information into the computer before it goes bonkers again.

The intake and reception division, commonly known as booking, is the first stop for everyone arrested in Osceola County.

It's where people charged with everything from trespassing to murder are searched and showered, fingerprinted and photographed. As many as 22 inmates are booked each day.

Jail officials have a 19-point checklist they must complete on each person booked into the minimum and maximum security facility on Simpson Road east of Kissimmee.

No. 1 on the list is removal of all property from an inmate. All the suspect's belongings, including clothes and shoes, are stored in numbered cardboard boxes that sit neatly on shelves in the locked property room. The only key to the door is about 3 inches long and is stored in a drawer.

Jewelry, cash and other valuables are locked in a safe that resembles a refrigerator. Inmates have to sign a property card and are given a receipt for cash that is locked up.

Officers then run a computer check on the new arrivals to see if they are wanted in connection with other crimes or by other law enforcement agencies. After that, it's on to the medical screening sheet.

''I have an artificial eye,'' says one inmate, who is trying unsuccessfully to strike a deal with Sgt. Gene Bakko to let him call his boss long-distance direct instead of collect.

Then to the shower, fingerprinting and photograph rooms for mug shots and delousing to make sure the inmates aren't carrying body lice. Suspects are entitled to more than one phone call if they need it.

Lt. Gary Borders said the entire process can be completed in about 45 minutes -- on a quiet night. But there are usually interruptions or slow- downs, such as a jam-up in a line at the fingerprint or photograph room. Or new arrivals.

As Sexton sits at his computer terminal behind a tall counter in the waiting room, a dispatcher radios to him that a road deputy just made two arrests and is enroute to the jail.

''You got two more coming,'' Sexton yells to Bakko, who has not finished booking the last man.

Being a booking officer is much different from being a road officer, says watch commander Lt. Grady Wright: Jail officers have a chance to deal with inmates on a more personal level.

''As a patrol deputy, you meet these people on the street, you bring them in here and somebody else takes over. Now, I see these folks quite often,'' Wright said.

''I take care of them.''

During the bustle of the night's activity, an inmate charged with driving with a suspended license posts his bond and waits to be released.

''Ready to get outta here?'' an officer asks the inmate as he waits for a guard to open the door.